Myrddin Fardd

Who was Myrddin Fardd?

John Jones, better known under his nom de plume Myrddin Fardd, was a Welsh writer and antiquarian scholar born in Llangїan, Caernarfonshire.

He attended Foel-gron School in Mynytho, after which he was apprenticed to a smith at Llanystumdwy. He remained in the blacksmith's trade for most of his life, setting up in business at Chwilog, but from 1861 onwards he was also a regular competitor at eisteddfodau, both as a poet and a prose writer. He researched in parish registers and graveyards throughout Wales, and collected manuscripts and old letters, most of which are now in the collection of the National Library of Wales.